Your music is only good as the signal chain you used to make that music and there is no element more important in your signal chain than the microphone that you use. Here you will learn about one mic that will definitely not be the weak link in your signal chain and which is not extremely expensive (although it is certainly not cheap either.)

The mic in question is the Shure KSM44. I have plenty of personal experience with this mic because it has been the principle mic in my home music studio for about six years and I've used it (and continue to use it) to record a variety of sources during that time.

The KSM44 is a large diaphragm condenser microphone and it is also a "multipattern" mic. What does multipattern mean? There are 3 patterns that a mic can record in (and the KSM44 can be switched between all three.) The patterns are cardioid, figure-8, and omnidirectional.

A cardioid pattern means that the mic only picks up what is coming from the front of the mic while rejecting sound coming from the back and the sides. A figure-8 pattern records sound from the front and the back while rejecting the sound from the sides. An omnidirectional pattern picks up everything from all around. Each of the patterns can be useful in different situations and this is why it is so great that this mic can be switched between each of the possible patterns.

Quite a few microphones boost certain frequencies when recording in order to "color" the sound. While this can be perfect in some circumstances, having a mic that has a neutral frequency response can allow you a lot more versatility. The Shure KSM44 is known for it's flat response and this is one of the biggest reasons why it's such a flexible mic. The KSM44 can be used to record any acoustic source.

Like all other condensers, this microphone requires a mic preamp. The quality of your preamp will greatly change the quality of the your sound and investing in a high quality mic preamp should be your next purchase after obtaining a quality condenser mic. Yes, most audio interfaces do have built in mic preamps but you'll get better results from an external preamp.

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